Universe Infinite Canteen

"Ah, this is so sudden, but I've never been a principal, nor am I a skilled expert," Ma Lu said. "Don't you have anyone else in mind? I could pass the message to them for you."

Cao Jinhua coughed twice more, the pain on his face growing more intense, "I saw your fight just now, taking on many at once, resolving six Shadow Demons in one breath, clean and efficient. If you're not a skilled expert, then there are no skilled experts in this world."

"As for the candidate of the school principal, cough, cough, the situation at Hou De isn't good, and I can't find a suitable successor in a short time. If you don't want to be the principal, you might as well dissolve the school.

"In any case, just make sure it doesn't fall into the hands of... Hero Group. Also, I hope you can properly arrange for the teachers and students before dissolving the school," Cao Jinhua said, removing his large-brimmed felt hat while speaking. At this time, his upper body also began to transform into a shadow.

Using the last of his strength, Cao Jinhua threw the hat out, "Hou De School is on Ping City Shouyang Mountain. Take this hat and claim you're the new principal when you go up the mountain and talk to… my younger sister. You can ask her about the specific details of the school."

After uttering the last word, Cao Jinhua let out a scream, with only half a face remaining in the air, looking somewhat chilling. His tone became more urgent,

"Do it now, kill me quickly!"

Perhaps because most of his body had already turned into a shadow, Cao Jinhua's resistance grew weaker. Ma Lu sighed and quickly walked toward Cao Jinhua.

When they were less than two steps apart, the remaining half of Cao Jinhua's face vanished, turning into a shadow, but his body also disintegrated under bright light.

Soon, the entire person disappeared, leaving only a green stone behind.

The stone was obviously larger than the ones Ma Lu had picked up before. He stepped forward and picked it up as well.

Actually, he still had many questions for Cao Jinhua, such as what a Talisman Master is, what the green stones are for, how to go to Shouyang Mountain, and most importantly… how to leave this sealed-off district.

It was just unfortunate that when he met Cao Jinhua, the latter had already transformed into a shadow. Cao Jinhua was probably holding on to his last breath to pass on the important matters before he kicked the bucket.

Ma Lu then picked up the hat from the ground, patted it clean, thought for a moment, and decided to pick up the person intended first.

He followed the direction from which Cao Jinhua had come and soon found the Sunrise Bookstore at a street corner.

Ma Lu arrived at the bookstore's entrance and called inside, "Qiutong, newcomer Qiutong, are you there? Mr. Cao sent me to pick you up."

However, there was no response from inside.

Left already?

Ma Lu pushed the door and entered the bookstore. Like the other shops on this street, the first floor of the Sunrise Bookstore was deserted.

There was electricity in this plane, naturally, there were electric lights, but for some reason, the lights in this district had stopped working, and even the kerosene lamps were the same. Ma Lu found a box of matches at a newsstand and tried to light a kerosene lamp he found in the pen store.

However, the moment he struck the match, it went out.

Even if Ma Lu's movements were quick enough to bring the match to the lamp wick before it went out, the wick would extinguish like the match, lighting up for only an instant before going out.

No wonder Cao Jinhua also used a spell earlier; this place was truly strange.

If Ma Lu hadn't just obtained the Illumination Technique, he probably would have already been dead.

He spent three minutes checking the first floor and found nothing unusual. He was about to step up the stairs to the second floor when he suddenly stopped.

Ma Lu asked himself a question: if this map were created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, where would he hide the creatures?

The answer was obvious: behind the bookshelves, the ceilings, and the stairwell entrance on the second floor—places a newcomer would easily overlook.

As soon as Ma Lu entered, he looked up at the ceiling. The bookshelves had gaps and, with careful observation, one could somewhat discern something fishy, especially around the staircase to the second floor, which was the most treacherous; there was no way to see it coming in advance.

With the shadow's speed, basically, showing your head meant death.

So, Ma Lu grabbed a book and threw it upstairs. Before the book even hit the ground, sure enough, a black shadow darted out, pouncing ferociously.

On the other hand, Ma Lu had already started reciting "play with you." After realizing it had been fooled, the shadow quickly changed its target and rushed towards Ma Lu. Ma Lu stood still, calm and composed, rubbed his fingers together, and turned himself back into a searchlight.

Within the confines of the bookstore, the power of the Light Illumination Technique was even more formidable. The shadow was still five steps away from Ma Lu when it was obliterated by the light.

To be safe, Ma Lu didn't rush to turn off the Illumination Technique. Instead, he closed his eyes and, feeling his way, arrived in front of the staircase, just about to head up to the second floor when there was movement above.

However, this time it was the sound of footsteps. Ma Lu heard the footsteps rapidly approaching him but before he could say anything to warn, he heard a scream from overhead.

"Ah!"

Hastily, Ma Lu turned off the Illumination Technique, only to see a girl with braided pigtails, wearing a scholar-blue short jacket, a black over-the-knee skirt, and little leather shoes, sitting down at the top of the staircase on the second floor.

"Qiutong?"

"Yeah, it's me, I... I can't see."

"It's okay, your eyes were just exposed to strong light. You'll recover in a bit," Ma Lu said after a pause. He continued, "You've been hiding in the bookstore all this time, are there any more Shadow Demons here?"

"No, just this one. It came in after Mr. Cao left. It's been standing on the first floor before heading upstairs. Before it came up, I quickly hid in the restroom. Just now, I heard your voice downstairs, but I was afraid to speak out, worried it might lure it over first."

"Can Shadow Demons hear voices?"

"I, I don't know. This is my first time encountering a Disaster. Right, you said Mr. Cao sent you. Did you run into him?"

The girl's eyes gradually began to regain some sight, barely making out Ma Lu's outline.

"I did."

"So that means rescue has arrived, that's great. But why hasn't the headmaster come back?"

This time, Ma Lu did not answer her question, but instead asked, "What did Mr. Cao say to you before he left?"

"He said this Disaster was something he wasn't good at dealing with, and told me to hide well on the second floor of the bookstore while he went out to seek help."

"Was there anything unusual about him before he left?"

"No, not that I can recall," Qiutong thought for a moment, looking somewhat lost.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Cao is already dead," Ma Lu decided to tell her the truth.

"Ah!" Qiutong covered her mouth, looking completely stunned. After a while, her eyes also started to redden.

"But, isn't the rescue already here?"

"He had been possessed by a Shadow Demon and was beyond saving. Concerned that he might hurt you after turning into a Shadow Demon, he separated from you. Also, I'm not the rescue," Ma Lu said frankly.

"Then who are you?"

"Just a passerby. I happened to run into Mr. Cao. He told me about you and asked me to take you out."